Paper roll holder



y 9 F. T. SMITH 2,240,629

PAPER ROLL HOLDER F iled Sept. 1, 1939 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Francis Z. Smi/fi Patented May 6, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER ROLL HOLDER Francis '1. Smith, Bridgeport, Conn. Application September 1, 1939, Serial No. 292,985

5 Claims. (or. 242-552) This invention relates to' holders for rolls of toilet paper, towels, and the like, and has for one of its objects the provision of an extremely simple device which not only permits the rolls to be rapidly and easily inserted, but also permits the roll-holding yoke to be easily and quickly removed from a supporting base without in any way springing or distorting any of the parts of the yoke or base.

One of the features of this invention is the provision of an extremely simple roll-holding yoke which is made from a single piece of wire, all parts of which lie in one plane, and which is open at one end so that the paper roll may be slid onto the yoke and the empty core removed Without springing the yoke.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of a simple supporting base for the rollholding yoke which may be fastened to the wall by wood screws or otherwise, and which is adapted to receive the roll-holding yoke and hold it in place against casual displacement without the necessity of springing the yoke or any parts of the base. Accordingly, the base may be made of rigid material such as Bakelite orporcelain, and of various colors so as to match the other fixtures with which it is used. If desired, the base may also be formed as a sheet metal stamping.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates several forms of my invention- Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing the roll holder of the present invention supporting a roll of paper.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view of 'a modified form of the invention, wherein the base is made of a metal stamping. I

Fig. 4 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the device of this invention comprises two simple parts-a base Ill and a roll-supporting yoke II.

According to the present invention, the yoke II is made approximately U-shape, with theleg I2 of the U constituting a shaft on which the yoke is mounted, and the leg I3 of the U constituting a support for a roll of paper I4, the legs I2 and I3 of the U being connected by a portion I5. Opposite the portion I5, the yoke. is left open so that the roll of paper I4 may he slid endwise over the rod I3 to the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the roll of paper is supported for rotation. The portion I5 of the U-shaped yoke prevents endwise movement of the roll to the right as shown in Fig. 1, and, to prevent endwise movement of the roll to the left, the rod I3 is provided with an upwardly bent arm I6 which engages the side of the roll or of the core IT on which the roll is wound. The length of the arm I6 is such that it will pass through the opening I8 of the core I! when the roll is slid onto the rod I3. The weight of the roll of paper keeps the roll from raising to the position where the arm I6 would pass through theopening I8 of the roll.

The base II] which supports the yoke II is a very simple part. As shown in Fig, 1, it may be made by molding porcelain, Bakelite or the like. As shown, it has a flat plate-like portion 22, the rear surface of which is adapted to be affixed to a wall, and, at opposite ends, has projections 20 provided with upwardly projecting ears 2I which are spaced from the front surface I9 of the plate 22. Midway between the projections 20 there is a lug 23. The shaft I2 of the yoke is received between the ears 2i and the plate 22 and supported on the upper surface of the projections 20. The lug 23 is so located as to engage the upper portion of the shaft I2 when the shaft is in position-the projections 20, ears 2|, and lug 23 holding the shaft I2 in position on the base I0 and permitting swinging movement of the yoke and the paper roll supported thereby. Longitudinal movement of the shaft I2 is prevented on the one hand by the portion I5 of the yoke engaging the ear 2I at the right-hand side of .the plate 22, and on the other hand by a bent portion 24 on the shaft I2 engaging the lefthand ear 2|.

This portion 24 is bent so as to lie in the same plane as the other parts of the yoke II, thereby permitting the formation of the yoke on a wire bending machine with very simple tools.

The base. I0 may be secured to a. supporting structure, such as a wall, by screws which pass through countersunk holes 25 extending through the plate 22. These countersunk holes preferably are placed directly behind the shaft I2 so as to be substantially concealed by the shaft.

When installing the roll holder, assuming that the yoke II has been removedfrom the base I0, the base I0 is secured to the wall by screws passing through the holes 25. Then the yoke, without bending any part of the same, may be slid into position on the base ID. This may be done by holdingthe yokeat right angles to the wall, sliding the right-hand end of the shaft I2 down wardly between the right-hand ear 2| and the plate 22, sliding the shaft to the left While the bent portion 24 extends forwardly so that it will pass under the lug 23 and until the bent portion 24 strikes the left-hand ear 2|, then swinging the yoke vertically so as to be substantially parallel with the wall, and then continuing the movement of the shaft to the left until the bent portion 24 has passed the lefthand ear 2!, whereupon the yoke is permitted to swing downwardly so that the bent portion 24is confined against lateral movement to the right by the ear 2! and the projection 20. The paper roll is then slid over the rod l3 of the yoke to the position shown in Fig. 1.

When the roll is in this position, even should the yoke be swung upwardly, the side of the roll of paper would strike the wall on which the device is mounted before the bent portion 24 assumes the vertical position which it must assume in order to pass the left-hand ear 2|, and thus the yoke is held on the base l against accidental or casual removal so long as the roll of paper is supported by the yoke.

The yoke H is made of stiff wire of such diameter that the yoke is substantially rigid and will support the roll of paper without appreciable bending, even though the rod l3 and shaft l2 are only connected at one side as by the portion 15.

, As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the base may be made of a sheet metal stamping. In this case, the sheet metal plate 22a has upwardly and forwardly bent ears Zia at each side, and between the ears 25a a horizontally extending ear 23a performing the functions of the projections with their ears 2| and the lug 23. The plate has holes 25a by means of which it may be secured to a supporting structure such as a wall.

In Fig. 3, the holes 25a are not directly behind the shaft l2, and this arrangement may also be employed in connection with Fig. 1 if desired.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A paper roll holder having a substantially U-shaped yoke disposed with itsparallel legs horizontal, one of said legs constituting'a rod for receiving the core of a roll of paper, and the other of said legs constituting a, shaft on which said rod and paper roll is swung, and a wall supported base for said rod, said base having a pair of cars extending outwardly from the exposed face of said base and then upwardly parallel to said face to slidably receive and support the shaft; and a lug between said ears to prevent vertical movement of the shaft.

2. A paper roll holder having a substantially U-shaped yoke disposed With its parallel legs horizontal, one of said legs constituting a rod for receiving the core of a roll of paper, the other of said legs constituting a shaft on which said rod and paper roll is swung, and a wall supported base for said rod, said base having a pair of ears extending outwardly from the exposed face of said base and then upwardly parallel to said face to slidably receive and support the shaft; and a lug between said ears to prevent vertical movement of the shaft, the shaft having a bent arm at one end to engage the adjacent ear and prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft, and being placed in position on the base by sliding the same longitudinally along the base and rotating the shaft without extending the yoke behind the wall-engaging face of said base to permit said arm on the shaft to pass by a supporting ear and the lugto bring the shaft to a position wherein it is supported by both of said ears with the arm engaging its adjacent ear.

3. A paper roll holder having a substantially U-shaped yoke, one leg of which is adapted to support a roll of paper, a wall supported rigid base adapted to engage and support the other leg of the yoke; a pair of ears extending outwardly from the exposed face of said base and then upwardly parallel to said base adapted to slidably receive said leg of the yoke without extending the yoke behind the wall-engaging face of the base and mount the yoke for pivotal movement; and a lug disposed between said ears and adapted to hold the said leg of the yoke in operative position on the ears against casual vertical movement, the extremities of both legs being bent toward each other to form restraining lugs, the lug of the roll supporting leg preventing movement of the roll longitudinally of the leg, and the lug of the supported leg holding the leg against movement laterally of the base.

4. In a device of the type described, a mounting plate adapted to be securely fastened to' a wall; 'a pair of upstanding ears carried by the exposed face of said plate, each forming at opposite sides of the plate a groove open at the top; a lug disposed intermediate said ears and presenting a downwardly facing shoulder; and a rod having two parallel and separated sections, one of said sections serving to receive a paper roll, the extremity of this section being bent toward the other section to prevent movement'of the roll longitudinally of the section, the other of said sections being slidably received in the grooves formed by said ears and held against movement upwardly of the grooves by the downwardly facing shoulder of said lug.

5. In a device of the type described, a mounting plate adapted to be securely fastened to a wall; a pair of upstanding ears carried by the exposed face of said plate, each forming at opposite sides of the plate a groove open at the top; a lug disposed intermediate said ears and presenting a downwardly facing shoulder; and a rod having two parallel and separated sections, one of said sections serving to receive a paper roll, the extremity of this section being bent toward the other section to prevent movement of the roll longitudinally of the section, the'other of said sections being slidably received in the grooves formed by said ears and held against movement upwardly of the grooves by the downwardly facing shoulder of said lug, the extremity of the last-named section being bent toward the other section to form a later-ally extending lug adapted to engage one of said ears when the section is supported by said ears to prevent movement of the section laterally of the plate.

FRANCIS T. SMITH. 

